Abstract The American Society for Virology (ASV) wishes to provide, through this block grant, partial support for the travel of 20 selected outstanding junior virologists to participate in the XIVth International Congress of Virology (ICV) to be held August 11-15, 2008, at a level of $1,500 per award, for a $30,000 total. This triennial ICV will be in Istanbul, Turkey, and it is essential for the U.S. to be represented by its best junior virologists. The ICV is a unique opportunity for U.S. junior investigators to meet and interact directly with internationally recognized expert virologists as well as learn in plenary sessions, workshops and poster sessions the most recent developments in all virus research areas, including viruses of humans, animals, plants, insects, and prokaryotes. Current problems in clinical virology, AIDS and SARS, and newly recognized parvoviruses and coronaviruses, will be included. Plenary sessions will cover virus entry and structure, virus-cell interactions, evolution, immunobiology, pathogenesis, virus versus host defenses, virus replication and host factors for replication, and emerging viruses and the control of viruses. There will also be special topics symposia that focus on new methods in viral diagnosis, new approaches to developing vaccines, gene therapy and delivery, and viruses as oncolytic agents. Workshop and poster sessions will address all virus families and their replication and pathogenesis, including HIV, hepatitis, influenza, and coronaviruses. The ASV considers one excellent way to stimulate and aid junior virologists in their future work is to enable them to interact directly with the best virologists world-wide, from which unique, long-lasting collaborations often result. Dr. Donald Ganem, ASV President, will appoint a selection committee to judge who among the applicants will receive partial travel support based on (1) ICV participation, (2) prospect that the awardee's research will benefit, and (3) financial need. The selection committee will include among others, Dr. Dorothea Sawicki, Scientific Director of this application and Secretary-Treasurer of the ASV. A satisfactory post-meeting report detailing the benefits to their research will be required of successful applicants. Our aim is to provide partial funding for junior virologists, including women and minority scientists, who might otherwise be unable to attend the ICV, with the goal of benefiting virological research in the U.S. for years to come. Virological research has many applications in the fields of infectious, immunologic, neoplastic, hematologic, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurologic, ophalmologic, developmental and childhood diseases, and in chronic and degenerative diseases, as well as in basic genetics, genomics, gene therapy and biotechnology. C:\Documents and Settings\ASV\Grant\ICV-2008\ICV Abstract.doc